Golf practice device



Feb. 28, 1939.

W. JOHNSON 2,149,174

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, 1938 .wf-fwwwrfmmw L? Il 1 INVENTOR Wirren/@kwam BY n@ l ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to indoor golf tees. An object of the invention is the provision of a device which may be used indoors and which forms a combination golf tee and indicator for 5 giving to the player audible signals Which will advise the player of a correct or incorrect stroke.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device for use in either indoor or outdoor golf practice in which a plurality of points are visible through which the golf club head must be passed with audible signals for indicating to the player Whether he has swung the club through the proper arc for hitting a ball so that the ball will be driven through a predetermined Path.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and efficient device for aiding in correcting the stroke of a golf player. However, the device may be used indoors without danger of injury to the floor or carpets while providing for audible signals to indicate to the player Whether he has swung the club head through the proper arc,

rFhis invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not conned to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modications as dene no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the indoor golf teeshowing lthe method of operation,

Figure 2 is a bottom View in perspective of the device,

Figure 3 is an enlarged end view of the same,

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of a clapper detached from the device, and

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken through a gong.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I designates a board which is elongated and which is relatively thick so that it will have suicient Weight to be maintained in position on the floor of a room in cooperation with a plurality of legs II and I2 which support the board above the surface of the floor or of a rug.

The legs Il are preferably made of rubber and the working surfaces I3 of the legs I I are sheared ofi at an acute angle so that their forward ends are slightly longer than the rear portion. The leg I2 also has its working surface I4 sheared oi at an angle but in an opposite direction to (o1. perse-35) the shearing of the legs II. The shearing of the outer ends of the legs I I and I2 provide a greater frictional surface between the ends of the legs and the floor and tend Vto prevent sliding of the board on the oor during an exercise and When the head of the club comes into contact at times withthe upper surface of the board I0 or steel plate I6. Furthermore, the shearing of the outer ends of the legs I I in an opposite direction to `the shearing of the outer end of the leg I2 will also aid in preventing sliding of the board when practice shots are being attempted. While I have shown one leg I2 at the rear end of the board it Will be appreciated that several legs may be employed for the purpose.

The forward end of the board has a cut-out .portion I which when a metal plate I5 is secured to the upper face of the board forms a pocket beneath said plate.v The material of the board at the sides of the pocket is left sufficiently wide as shown at I'l for closing the sides of the pocket and providing a sufcient support for the legs I I to prevent breakage of the members I'I when the board is subjected to severe shocks. The side bars I'I are sheared off at their outer ends, as shown at I8, and these sheared off portions may be either straight or curved. It will also be noted that the cut formed at the front of the board is so made that a reinforcing portion I9 is left and these reinforcing portions extend inwardly towards each other at the open front end of the pocket.

A pair of gongs or bells and 2l of the usual type and of different sizes and tones are located within the pocket I5 and are supported upon the underface of the plate I6 in spaced relation by means of bolts 22. A pair of nuts 23 and 24 are located upon opposite sides of each bell for rigidly supporting the bell upon a bolt. The head 25 of the bolt is countersunk into an opening 26 in the plate I6 and is secured to the plate by means of a nut 2'I which is forced up tight against a washer 28 which is located between the underface of the plate I6 and the nut 21.

A rod 30 is secured at its ends in any approved manner but staples 3| may be used for the purpose, as shown in Fig. 3 and these staples are driven into the outer free ends of the members II for supporting the rod 30 across the open space at the front end of the pocket I5.

A clapper, generally designated by the numeral 32, is supported by means of a pair of arms 33 which have bearings 34 intermediate their ends which are received by the rod 30. The arms and the bearings are formed from a single piece of steel wire bent intermediate its ends to form a bight portion 35 and the wire is twisted to form the bearings 34. The extreme ends of the wire are secured in any approved manner to the metal clapper 32. A collar 36 is located between each pair of bearings 34 and this collar may be formed of metal or some composition material and is for the purpose of maintaining the clapper and the arms 33 in position so that the clapper will strike its respective gong when the bight portion 35 of either or both of the oscillating members 31 or 38 have been struck by the head of the club.

A marker 45 or light colored disc, the diameter of a golf ball, is painted on or applied to the metal plate I6 at the forward end of the plate with its center located in a longitudinal line passing through the board I0. This line if extended would pass directly between the bight portions 35 of the members 31 and 33. The member 40 may be in the form of a disc secured to the outer face of plate I6 or it may be a highly polished portion of the metal in the form of a circle or other configuration with the remaining portion of the surface of the plate being painted to distinguish the spot 4U from the rest of the plate. The member 40 is the spot to which the eye of the golfer is directed and takes the place of the usual ball employed in outdoor practice.

The plate I6, as shown at lll, is secured by means of screws to the upper surface of the board I or this metal plate may be countersunk so that its outer surface will be ush with the upper surface of the board I0.

In practice the board is placed upon the floor and supported by the legs Il and I2 above the surface of the oor or above the surface of a rug. The player takes the proper stance and swings his club while maintaining his eye on the spot 4U which represents the ball. If he has swung the club head through the proper arc the bottom of the club head will pass over the spot 4!) and strike both of the bight portions 35 of the oscillating levers 3l and 38 so that both gongs 20 and 2| will give an audible signal and indicate to the player that he has followed through with the proper stroke. If neither gong is sounded or if only one gong is sounded the playei` will have an indication that he has not maintained the proper position and that he has not coordinated his arms and body movement in the proper manner. He will continue to practice until the golf club head will pass directly over the spot 4D and strike both of the bight portions of the oscillating members 31 and 38.

A pair of steel bars of different musical notes or tones, such as are used on Xylophones or on orchestral bells, may be used instead of gongs.

I claim:

l. A device for indoor golf practice comprising an elongated board having a cut-out portion at the forward end thereof, a metal plate secured to the upper face of the board and forming with the cut-out portion a pocket, a pair of gongs mounted in the pocket, a pair of rockable members mounted on the forward end of the board and having one end projecting above the surface of the board, a clapper secured to the other end of the rockable member and in striking alignment with the respective gong, and a marker on the metal plate representing a golf ball and located in a line which passes through the middle of the plate and midway between the rst-mentioned ends of the rockable members.

2. A device for indoor golf practice comprising an elongated board, a metal plate secured to the upper surface of the board adjacent one end thereof, said board having a pocket therein below the metal plate, a plurality of audible signals mounted in the pocket, an operating means for each signal having a free end projecting beyond the pocket and above the adjacent end of the board, the operating means projecting beyond the forward end of the board and plate, and means on the plate adjacent the projecting ends of the operating means for indicating the line of movement through which a golf club head must pass to contact and cause actuation of the operating means for the signals.

3. A device for indoor golf practice comprising an elongated board, a metal plate secured to the upper surface of the board, said board having a pocket at the forward end thereof and beneath the plate, said pocket opening through the forward end of the board, a rod secured to the forward end of the board across the open end of the pocket, gongs located in the pocket and carried by the plate, operating levers pivoted intermediate the ends thereof on the rod in spaced relation, a combined clapper and weight secured to the lower end of each lever and in line with an adjacently associated gong, the upper end of each arm extending above the forward end of the board so that all of the upper ends will be in position to be struck by a club head, and means on the plate indicating a definite path for the moving head in order that the head will strike all of the upper ends of the levers to ring the gongs simultaneously.

WARREN JOHNSON. 

